IDAHO HOUSE: Accountability, or secrecy?

The Idaho House of Representatives exists because of the people, but some of our local officials seem to have forgotten that. Rep. Vito Barbieri of Dalton Gardens recently introduced House Resolution 27, a “secrecy bill” that would keep ethics investigations against lawmakers hidden from the public unless a committee votes unanimously to release them.

Why are our representatives so eager to hide their conduct? In any other workplace, and for any regular citizen, a “sex charge” or serious misconduct is a matter of public record. Yet, Barbieri and his supporters want a “VIP secret trial” for politicians. This is especially disturbing given that Barbieri previously wrote a letter describing former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger — who was later convicted of rape — as an “upstanding person.”